What can current and future students and their teachers learn from this?
Candidates appear to be very confident in certain areas of the course, typically the earlier areas involving linear acceleration, relative velocity, projectiles and connected particles. Candidates demonstrated a good knowledge of the techniques involved and it is apparent that they have spent much time practising and perfecting these techniques. However, many students appear to have learnt the techniques by repeated practice of similar questions and are less able to apply the same techniques in a different context. For example, candidates were well able to resolve velocities into components; however, they then were unable to apply the same skill as successfully to resolve forces into components. Candidates should spend more time on the understanding of the concepts involved and considering how they might be broadly applied, rather than just concentrating on a particular application of the technique involved. They need to understand the concepts underlying these techniques in order to apply them generally and be better equipped to deal with questions that are not standard.
From the distribution of the questions attempted by groups of candidates in particular centres, it is possible to conclude that candidates are focussing on specific areas of the curriculum to the exclusion of others. It would be advisable to allocate enough time to cover each section of the curriculum. This would give candidates a wider choice of question in the examination and improve their overall chances of success, as well as giving them a broader understanding of the subject. That is, complete coverage of the syllabus is recommended. Confining syllabus coverage to six or seven topics limits choice and may also present difficulties if parts of different topics are examined in the same question.
More time needs to be spent on general mathematics skills, including handling fractions, algebraic manipulation, trigonometric identities, rules of logs, separation of variables in integration problems, and on the skills of integration.
Answering six questions in the time available, especially at Higher level, requires prudent time management and, in particular, the self-discipline to move on to the next question when necessary. Time management and sticking to the time one has allocated to each question can be a significant factor in the achievement of candidates.
Candidates are advised to practise force diagrams and to pay attention to the question of whether friction does or does not apply.
Draw large, clear, labelled diagrams where appropriate. This is particularly important, as in most cases equations must be formed using the forces in the diagram and the direction or sense of the force is significant.
It is advisable to start each question on a left-hand page as errors in transposition across page turns are common.
